On the other side of Strada Iuliu Maniu, the Bánffy Palace is a stately partner to St Michael’s Church.

This 18th-century Baroque residence was designed by the German architect Eberhard Blaumann and was built in the mid-1770s for the Hungarian Duke György Bánffy.

Among a lofty roll-call of guests is the Holy Roman Emperor Francis II who visited with his wife Caroline Augusta in 1817.